1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bath lift device.
By the expression "bath lift device" is meant a device which can be used to raise or lower a person in a bathtub. It will be appreciated that such a device is intended for use with elderly persons or invalids.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Bath lift devices of generally the type described herein are disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,725,578, which issued to J. Keller et al on Dec. 6, 1955; 2,817,096, which issued to J. F. Roth on Dec. 24, 1957; 3,311,930, which issued to T. N. Bourke on Apr. 14, 1967; 3,771,176, which issued to H. H. Herman, Sr. on Nov. 3, 1973; 4,254,577, which issued to H. H. Herman, Jr. on March 10, 1981; 4,419,776, which issued to P. Schmidt on Dec. 13, 1983; 4,495,668, which issued to H. H. Herman, Jr. on Jan. 19, 1985 and 4,534,074, which issued to H. H. Herman, Jr. on Aug. 13, 1985.
While the patented devices perform the same function as the device of the present invention, the patented devices are either too simple, offering limited support for the user and inaccurate control of the lifting or lowering operations, or the devices are unnecessarily complicated and consequently expensive to produce. In view of the foregoing, a need still exists for a simple, efficient bath lift device.
The object of the present invention is to meet the above defined need by providing a relatively simple, inexpensive bath lift device, which offers good user support, and which is relatively easy to control during raising or lowering operations.